A contractor for Atlanta finished work Monday on a section of North Mill Road torn up by a water main break more than a week ago, and the road should reopen Tuesday, but it wasn't nearly fast enough for Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos.
"That's not acceptable, especially when they're charging us through the nose," the mayor said.
The north Fulton city gets its water from Atlanta’s Watershed Management Department, its customers paying 21 percent more per gallon than Atlantans, and Atlantans pay one of the highest water rates in the nation. One survey that looked at residential bills for water and wastewater in 50 large cities found Atlanta paid the highest average monthly rates for 7,500 gallons and 15,000 gallons -- $154.30 and $327.70, respectively -- and second only to Seattle in the 3,750-gallon category.
Sandy Springs' add-on, referred to as a rate differential, has been the subject of litigation dating back to the early 2000s, well before Sandy Springs incorporated in 2005. The city has so far been unsuccessful. Residents sued in the early 2000s, but a Fulton County jury, a Superior Court judge and the state Court of Appeals later ruled in favor of Atlanta.
The issue remains in federal court, awaiting a ruling from the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, stemming from disputes over Fulton County's service delivery strategy.
Since Atlanta justifies the 21-percent add on in that it's more costly to maintain infrastructure outside city limits, repairs should be made much faster, Galambos said. She said the department didn't shut the water off fast enough after a sizable water main break Sept. 18 at the intersection of NorthMill and Brandon Mill roads, leaving a 500-foot stretch of roadway riddled with cracks and buckling asphalt.
It is not known what caused the break, but age — the pipe is 50 years old — and weather aren't believed to have been factors, Watershed Management Department spokeswoman Janet Ward said. When the valve was shut off -- within hours -- another valve blew.
About 20-25 homes were without water for about five hours. North Mill Road, a major corridor, had to be closed for a week.
Galambos said the repairs should have taken a few days.
Atlanta's public works crews can't venture outside city limits, and the city's private contract to make outside fixes had expired. Ward said it took an emergency procurement to hire Mullins Brothers Paving Contractors at a cost of $35,600.
Ward disputed that the job took too long. She said Sandy Springs Public Works asked that it be done within two weeks, and it got done in eight days.
"Oh, no, our public works people wanted it done yesterday," Galambos said. "This isn't the first time we've had problems. Atlanta is derelict."
Ward said cost differentials are common in the industry.
"We do charge more, and there's valid reasons why we do," she said. "And actually, 21 percent is low. It's usually more like 25."
Staff Writer George Mathis contributed to this article.
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